Customer Reviews

Philips O'Neill SHO9560/28 Over-Ear Headphones - Black Bordeaux

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I'm going to start off with disagreeing with some of the negative reviews on here concerning the sound quality. The reason being, is because for the price you pay, I think these headphones sounded very capable and accurate, especially as I do own "audiophile" grade speakers and electronics in my main HT/Audio system, and I do actually sit and "listen" to music, even though its sometimes hard to find time to do so as much as I would like. They are very neutral, with sufficient bass and depth, and don't influence the overall sound one way or the other, and quite frankly, are in fact comparable with the "beats" by Dre headphones considering the price point. If you are expecting audiophile quality sound, then buy audiophile quality headphones, but be prepared to pay the premium that goes along with them, its really that simple. I read the complaints of the highs being muffled and the bass somewhat lacking, however I found that these headphones, reproduced highs and lows very well, with excellent midrange and it was moreso the source material and quality of the encoding, that affected the sound more than the headphones themselves. They were purchased originally for traveling with my Ipod Touch and Ipad, with those being the sources I mainly tested for the purpose of this review, with a slight edge going to the Ipad for overall sound quality. They performed equally impressively on most types of music I listen to which ranges from Modern rock, contemporary Jazz, to Hip-hop, Alternative, Motown, 60's,70's, and 80's new wave. They were more than adequate for playback of movies and video, as well as gaming, on either the Touch or Ipad. In fact, they will probably serve duty for general everyday listening, as well as traveling, as the sound was that impressive.
I won't spend to much time on build quality as it is what it is. They are built like a tank and are not going to break, under normal use and care. The design and look is modern yet simple, and functional. The stress relief/breakaway cable design is top notch and a great forethought for design and prevention of pulling accidents and wear on the cable where it joins to the headphones. The headphone cable has a braided nylon(or appears to be) outer jacket, is virtually tangle free and has a nice look and feel to it.
These headphones are extremely comfortable, and can be worn for hours at a time without discomfort, and in fact I almost forgot I was wearing them in a couple instances! They completely cover the ear, and the noise canceling was good, not as great as I've used, but more than sufficient in most cases. Overall I would recommend these for anyone wanting comfort and durability, while maintaing good to great sound quality, and wants a cost effective alternative to earbud style or more expensive premium headphones.

I dont consider myself a headphone snob, so straight away I thought these sounded good. Then I compared them to my Sony MDR-V700 over ear headphones and realized these Philips were not nearly as crisp, deep or loud as the Sony. I'd give them a 6 out of 10 if you're listening to rock music, and and 9 out of 10 if you plan to use them for audio books, podcasts, etc.

I will say however these impressed me in terms of their light weight, fit, comfort, and sound blocking capabilities. They feel like they were made for me and feel extremely comfortabe and secure around my ears. They also weigh virtually nothing and I am more confident they won't slip off my head. They also great at blocking out unwanted noise. I would gladly trade a little sound quality for these added comfort features, as I would toss these in my bag while the others I wouldnt.

They may not have the perfect sound, but they are light, you can wear them a long time, and block out annoyances, making them a great headphone for travel.

UPDATE: I have had these for a while now. While they are not the most musically high performance headphones I own, I always grab them over the others. They are just so soft and comfortable on my ears with their soft leather pads, and I have really grown to love the lightweight and detachable fabric covered cord. Its awesome.

I love how review geeks write their "pro" audiophile reviews for what is to me an entry/mid level Around-the-Ear Headphones. That being said I gave these headphones 5 stars as deservedly so. I'll tell you why in the 4 categories Amazon splits review stars into.

I am not a tech geek or audiophile. I enjoy listening to music and watching movies on my laptop. If you want studio quality sound for studio work, buy studio headphones for $300+ more.

Comfort: 5 stars
Amazingly comfortable. The first day I had them I listened to music while I lifted weights in the morning. Had no problem with them being cumbersome or in the way at any point. I used them later on in the evening to watch a Dexter marathon on my laptop. I had them on for about 4 hours straight and the only thing I can say negative is that my ears started getting sweaty. But that might even be a good thing as this can refer to the seal of the ear pads being fully encapsulated. Not once did I feel uncomfortable. The adjustable neoprene-like band is a nice touch for heads of all sizes. I have a bigger head and a lot of headphones I try to use end up getting uncomfortable at the top. Not these. The around the ear design is flawless. Covered my ears completely and were very cushion comfortable. I LOVE the braided rope cord. It does not tangle and looks very sheik.

Durability: 4.5 stars
I can't imaging what it would take to break the frame of these headphones. They are made of a stretch nylon material that literally twists and shapes any way you pull it. Very cool. I haven't had these for very long so i don't know how the small parts will hold up. There are a couple of hinges that could fail down the line but that goes for most other headphones too. The aluminum type cover for the phone jack did come off the first day I had it as all that is keeping it on there is some cheap glue. Get a drop of super glue in there and that problem is solved. The stretch nylon is basically plastic so if you get them scratched, that cool see through smoke look is tarnished for good.

Sound Quality: 5 stars
Again, I am rating this based on the price point. And at $60, it is superb. I have listened to Bose Quiet Comforts and Beats Studio Pros and yes they were phenomenal but they were also $250-$300. More expensive. For how much more you would spend, I don't feel the sound is that much better for that much money. I didn't find anything funky with the lows or bass as some have said. I used it with my Macbook, iphone, ipod and Nintendo DS. The music quality is great but the movie sound quality is even better. It's like being in a small theater with surround sound. Every footstep, leaf crunch, and breath is picked up crystal clear and action scenes are much more lively. Again for the money, the sound is outstanding.

Noise Cancelling: 4.5 stars
Rated this high because they don't claim to be "Noise Cancelling" headphones. But with the phones on listening to music at a comfortable level...your friends will have to raise their voices to get your attention if you're not looking at them. In an airplane, it cancels out flight noise but you can still hear the "seat belt" tones while watching a movie. Though they are not "Noise Cancelling" phones, they do a great job of cutting out unwanted outside noise.

Overall = 4.75 stars
Very happy with the product. I asked an associate at Best Buy if anyone had returned these and she said no. They are one of very few items that do not have a return scan. That speaks volumes for the product and customer satisfaction. Definitely recommend these for anyone who wants to greatly enhance their mobile music and movie listening experience for very cheap.

Length:: 5:26 Mins

A review I made for my youtube channel and didn't want to remake it.

Right out of the box, I liked these Phillips O'Neill headphones. The packaging that they come in is expensive-looking and well-designed, making heavy stock cardboard and plastic-coated paper look and almost feel like a tin container. The headphones are enclosed within, and attached to the molded plastic casing with plastic and metal twist ties. My box didn't contain any sort of small manual; I'm not sure if that was simply an oversight, or if these just don't come with one, but I would've liked one just to give me a bit more inside information on the product itself, and ways to properly train my headphones. Not a crucial thing to add, just a nicety.

Something else that's nice is the smart way that Phillips O'Neill has designed the power cord, and the way that it removes cleanly with tension. Were the power cord to get caught on or snagged by anything unexpectedly, instead of the tension damaging your headphones potentially beyond repair, the cord would simply separate from the jack by which it attaches to your headphones. When I'm done using mine, I simply detach the cord, wrap it LOOSELY around the headphone band, and connect the male end to the female end so that I don't lose the cord in transit. Simply do the reverse, and plug the male end on the short cord leaving the headphones, into the female end on the power cord, and you're ready to plug it into your device and go!

Overall, to my ears, the sound on these headphones is crisp, rich, and deep. It leaves nothing to be desired, for me. The headphones themselves are VERY comfortable, and I'm still trying to figure out just how it is that that padded black plastic-looking strip in the middle of the headband stretches to fit my head so well. Either way, however it works, it makes for a very comfortable listening experience. The cups for the speakers themselves completely cover my ears, making for a truly enveloping listening experience. Because of how fully they DO cover my ears, I would say that they definitely do reduce the noise around me. In fact, I've been taking these to a college Drawing class that I'm currently enrolled in, to shut out the constant chatter and squeaking of stools around me. Once these are over my ears, the rest of the world melts away, and I'm able to completely focus on my artwork. So, job well done on noise reduction and great sound, Phillips O'Neill!

As is the case for most new technology, the price on these is not necessarily low, but you get what you pay for, and these are well-enough designed and made to justify the cost, I think. Aesthetically speaking, the color scheme and styling on these will appeal to both genders, as the bordeaux color is not overly feminine by any stretch (no pun intended), and the clear smoke color of the plastic band is eye-catching. Paired with the black accents, the smart detachable power cord, and the great sound provided by these headphones, I don't think that Phillips O'Neill has left anything to be desired here.

You want great headphones to block out the world for a while? These will do the trick for you! I LOVE mine!

To answer the negative reviews about sound: yeah, these aren't a pair of Boss. But for the price, the sound quality is very good. I think it is actually good for headphones at twice the price. I've used them to listen to rock, indie, acoustic guitar, classical, audio books, eurohouse, folk, and live recordings. The headphones faithfully reproduce the sound with decent bass and no shrill edges to the high notes. For example, they bring out the subtlety of a Yo-Yo Ma solo, playing even the soft sounds at the beginning or end of a stoke with the bow. The bass is fine for me, and I like a bit of extra bass. If you want sub-woofer, shake-your-brain kinda bass these, or any, headphones might not be for you.
The noise reduction is quite noticeable. I no longer hear a certain coworker cackling when she visits my office-neighbor. I swear that woman laughs like Ursula the Sea Witch from the Little Mermaid. It drives me nuts. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I also don't hear anyone knocking on my partially closed door either...
Comfort is a huge deal for me. I wear these at work for 2-10 hours at a time. They hug the head enough to keep them in place, but do not squeeze. I wear a large hat size, my head is 23 inches in circumference [yes, I just measured it]. The headphones fit just as well on a friend of mine, whose head is smaller. The design of the band on the top is genius, just enough tension to get a snug fit but not so much the ear pieces pull upwards. The parts that touch my skin are soft and my ears fit easily inside.
The cord connection near the ear pieces has saved my head and probably the headphones some damage. It takes a bit of pressure for it to pop apart but not much. In my case, my head jerked sideways, with very minimal discomfort, and then it disconnected.
To summarize, I love these headphones. They work for me, the sound is good to very good, they are comfortable, and I like the style.

okay people

I just came from audio store where i spend 3-4 hours going through headphones. My demand list was big.

1. had to be over ear
2. had to have binaural
3. had to be HD
4. had to be crisp
5. must have around 20khz freq response
6. could wear all day if i am doing some music school project
7. outside sound proof. No one can hear me outside nor inside my headphones

i wanted Sony headphone or Sennheiser HD 65 but i came home with Phillips headphones SH09560.

Cheers

Pros: Very Comfortable, Good price ($80), sturdy construction, im taking them skiing and feel confident that they wont suffer, look great, very good insulation mute out conversations and noise completely without power noise canceling

Cons: Sound quality could be better but is still very good, lacking bass a little, my biggest concern is they aren't as loud as i would like so i purchased a headphone amp for 20 bucks that should increase sound quality and volume, they're definitely loud enough for the average listener though, i would just like to be able to hear the music clearly even when theyre not on my ears

First, let me say the packaging for these headphones is really nice. It's a sturdy box and it's totally hassle free in terms of getting it open. For me this is a plus.

Second, I have never seen headphones/earphones that have this rope-like cable for a wire. All other headphones I've ever used just have a plain wire that always cinches up and twists around itself and is such a pain in the neck to unwind. You will NOT have this problem with these headphones. There is fabric wrapped around the wire and it actually comes apart about 2" away from the headphones also reducing the twistiness.

These headphones are sooooo comfortable. You can literally wear them for hours and not have any pain or discomfort. The band that goes over your head is made of a soft, almost gel-like filler with a soft fabric covering it. The actual earpieces are also very soft and fit perfectly over my ears. They're not too big; they're not too small. Just right.

Now, I must say, I wouldn't recommend these headphones so much if you're just planning on listening to music with them. I have a different pair of earphones that have much better sound quality and depth. The sound is a bit flat in these earphones, but they're perfect for watching movies on the laptop. Be advised, these are NOT noise canceling headphones, so they probably wouldn't be good to use on an airplane or some other noisy place, but I haven't tried them on the plane yet. When I use my BOSE in-ear headphones I listen on the lowest volume setting possible on my laptop, but to get the same volume, I have to increase the laptop's volume by about 4 levels to get the same volume in my ears.

So do I recommend these headphones? Yes - for casually watching movies when you don't want to disturb others with the sound or need headphones on for an extended amount of time. No - if you're looking for superior sound quality and/or noise cancellation.

I purchased this headphone on black friday sales at Amazon and received today, but only to find it $5 cheaper on Newegg's Cyber Monday. What gives? I guess you can't win all the time. The price is still available at newegg today (Nov 28, 2011) if you want to get one, but need to hurry.

Here comes with my simple, novice review, mainly comparing with other Philips headphone model SHL8800/10: Unlike the SHL8800/10, which rests on my earlobe too tightly, this headphone wears very comfortably, cover all ears with good noise blocking. The headphone's sound quality is probably designed as the "reference monitor" of the headphone world, of course, I don't have an audiophile one to compare to. The bass is not as deep as my Philips SHL8800/10 with the same EQ setting. In fact, no matter how I customize the EQ setting, I can't get this headphone to have a deep bass sound. On the other hand, the treble is not as high either. The headphone is also not as loud and as clear as SHL8800/10. Also, this headphone seems to be sensitive, on the same recording, I can actually hear the "hisses" or "noises" of the recording. Perhaps this headphone's drivers requires higher power setting than my MP3 player can output. Perhaps I have a bad copy of the MP3, or worse, bad copy of the headphone, or the headphone is too good for my own good.... In any case, I am a little bit disappointed as I use it more..